SSS to issue New UMID cards

SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Emilio S. de Quiros, Jr., announced the major development on the Unified Multipurpose Identification System or “UMID”, which could change the way they do things in the Social Security System, that would make life easier for members, in their transactions with SSS and other government agencies on July 18, 2011 at the SSS Conference Room.

He said that the institution would start issuing UMID cards free to members before the end of the month (July).

De Quiros also said that at least four other government agencies, Government Service Insurance System, Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-ibig) and Philippine Health Insurance Corporation on May 11, 2009 signed a Memorandum of Understanding towards the joint implementation of the UMID.

The new UMID ID has a contactless chip and a magnetic stripe, which stores information not only for identification purposes, but will serve as a transaction card that can eventually be used in withdrawing SSS benefits and loan proceeds from automated teller machines.

He also said that other state agencies which uses biometric technology and fingerprint matching to determine a person’s identity, can also join the UMID, so more people can be benefitted.

The SSS card production facility broke down in 2010, after issuing 11 million cards since it started operation in 1998.

“Members who have been waiting for their IDs after SSS card production stopped on April 2010 would be the first to get UMID cards,” de Quiros said.

Production has started at the rate of 5,000 cards per day, and will increase to the maximum daily output of 20,000 to eliminate the backlog of about 600,000 applications in one and a half months.

To attend to new applicants, 131 data capture machines were installed in 95 SSS branches all over the country from May to June this year, replacing the old ones.

A mobile data capture service will also be fielded to companies so employees can get IDs without leaving the company premises.

SSS has piloted a mobile data capture projects at Resorts World in Pasay City last month, where around 800 employees have availed of the service.

The UMID concept was introduced under the Executive Order 420 issued on April 13, 2005 directing all government agencies and Government Owned-Controlled Corporations (GOCC) issuing ID cards to adapt a unified multipurpose ID system.

It aims to reduce cost and financial burden on government and the public due to the use of multiple ID cards and maintaining of databases with the same or related information.

EO 700 issued on January 16, 2008 placed the SSS identification system at the core of the UMID, in recognition of the agency’s expertise in managing a biometric ID system for its millions of members. Estrella Z. Gallardo, PSciJourn Mega Manila